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Information for Transplant Recipients

About Organ Transplants

About Organ Transplants

Since the first successful transplant in 1954, organ transplantation has become one of the most effective therapies for end-stage organ diseases that affect millions of people every year, including kidney, heart and liver failure. Today, over 250,000 Americans live with functioning transplanted organs, thanks to this medical miracle.

Transplantation has given many a new lease on life and, to many more, an extension that would have otherwise been impossible. This means a chance of growing for families and a chance of living for individuals. However, many unsolved obstacles prevent doctors from guaranteeing a bright future for all organ recipients and their families.

The organ transplantation community faces three main issues:

Lack of organs

There are almost 114,000 people waiting for an organ, and an average of 20 people will die a day waiting. The number of organs sufficient for transplantation from deceased and living donors has plateaued. In 2015, 30,000 transplants brought new life to patients and their families.

Organ transplantation failure

Approximately 50 percent of all transplanted organs will experience failure within five to ten years, typically due to organ rejection or complications from immunosuppression drugs. This leads to the recipient needing a second transplant, which is a very challenging and risky procedure.

Lack of research funding

Organ transplantation research is severely underfunded. In fact, in comparison to efforts to fight other serious medical conditions, transplantation research has almost no public support.

Organ transplantation is a life-saving treatment - but not a cure. Beyond the transplant recovery lies a lifetime of medications and therapies to maintain the recipient’s health and protect the organ. While organ transplantation is certainly a medical miracle, much work remains to reduce rejection rates and move this therapy to a lifelong cure.

Luckily, we have the power to change this.

Power2Save is on a mission to eliminate organ rejection through the power of medical research and innovation. By developing a new generation of safer and more effective medications, implementing new tests to help doctors optimize medication therapy, and creating the best environment for the transplanted organ to eliminate rejection, we can transform organ transplantation from a treatment to a cure. Together, we have the Power2Save!